Branch newsletters: Nelson
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August No. 5

Human Rights in China - Professor Bill Willmott
Friday 22 August .. Hearing House .. 5:30 pm
Nelson Branch is privileged to have a speaker of such calibre sharing his thoughts on this topical and controversial subject at our next meeting. This is a great opportunity for those of you who know Bill and Diana to catch up and for everyone else to meet them. An interesting and informative evening is guaranteed.

Emeritus Professor Bill Willmott was born in Chengdu, in Sichuan Province, where his parents were United Church of Canada educational missionaries. He was educated in China to secondary level before going to college in Ohio. Bill’s tertiary education was completed at McGill University, Montreal and the London School of Economics. He taught at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, came to Canterbury University in 1973 and retired from the Chair of Sociology in 1998. Until 2006 Bill was a Research Associate at the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury.

He was National President of NZCFS 1989-94 and 1997-2002 and remains a member of the National Executive. He has conducted 20 tours to China and has been awarded several public honours including: Honorary Life Member of Sister Cities New Zealand, Honorary Principal of Shandan Bailie School, Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM), and Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Friendship Ambassador.

As usual, Branch business will be dealt with prior to our Chinese meal costing $10. The speaker will begin immediately after the meal. Friends and visitors are welcome but please notify Barbara when you ring so that we have accurate numbers for the meal. To arrange catering please ring: Barbara Markland Ph. 544 4712 by Tuesday 19 August.

LAST MEETING:
A large number of members and visitors braved a cold winter’s night to attend the July Branch Meeting. They were well rewarded with the warm environment, a good meal (despite the long wait) and an interesting, informative presentation by Dave Bromwich.

Dave began by discussing the NZCFS Earthquake Appeal and outlined how this would be translated into a project to assist earthquake victims in a rural area. Later Dave showed the very moving Heroes of Sichuan slideshow of the Sichuan Earthquake devastation which visually reinforced the horrific figures of destruction and death that had emerged from this natural disaster.

Dave spoke enthusiastically about his admiration for Rewi Alley and his ongoing legacy, especially the Shandan Baillie School and the Gung Ho Movement. The presence of two Rewi Alley relatives at the meeting added to the significance of this Rewi Alley link. Personally, and on behalf of NZCFS, Dave visits China regularly to establish and promote co-operatives and projects which advance the rural communities in the Shandan and Guangxi areas. He explained how the co-operatives were set up, their structure and activities.

All this gave us a very detailed insight into village life. We all now have a much greater understanding of the principles and values of the co-operatives Dave has seen established through his work.

SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE APPEAL:
As a result of members’ donations and our co-operation with the Nelson International Church at the Nelson Market Appeal and their Garage Sale, close to $2000 has been raised by the Nelson Branch to be added to the money collected by other branches, giving an national total of around $22,000 so far. Special thanks to the International Church and all the many others who assisted to make this possible.

Sally Russell and Dave Bromwich went to Shaanxi and Sichuan on 9 August for two weeks. They applied for a NZAID:KOHA grant of $5000 to assist with expenses. Liu Guozhong from Shandan Bailie School will join them and they plan to establish partnerships with NGO’s in the earthquake-affected regions of Sichuan and Southwest Shaanxi. The area in Shaanxi across the border from Sichuan suffered serious damage from huge after-shocks and holds particular interest for NZCFS as it includes Shuangshipu, Feng County, where Rewi Alley established the first Bailie School in 1941.

The Shaanxi Women’s Federation reports that in Feng County, 12 townships and 100,000 people or 76.9% of the county population have been affected. Although there was less loss of life than in Sichuan, 26,000 people were evacuated to safety and half the houses in the rural areas (10,000) have been damaged. In Xian, the capital of Shaanxi, they will discuss details of a rehabilitation project with the Provincial Women’s Federation, seeking an on-going partnership to extend NZCFS’s work with co- operatives in poor rural areas where Rewi Alley worked.

In Sichuan, they plan to discuss an earthquake assistance package with Gung Ho (ICCIC) who are liaising with cooperatives in Sichuan, and considering several possibilities: co-operatives they have worked with before; areas with historical ties, e.g. where Rewi Alley went for his yak's wool in the 1940s; and areas where people have turned to the co-operative movement for self-help.

AMBASSADORIAL CHANGES:
His Excellency Zhang Yuanyuan and Madame Wang Xiaofang, who visited Nelson for the NZCFS Conference in 2007, have completed their tour of duty in New Zealand and moved to Brussels. They can look back on the completion of the Free Trade Agreement between our two countries with considerable satisfaction. Carl Worker has been named as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to China. He is a Mandarin speaker and has twice been posted to Beijing, including as Deputy Head of Mission. Other postings have included New Zealand Consul-General in Hong Kong. Mr Worker will take up his position in March 2009 when he replaces Tony Browne.

PROMINENT PERSONS AND LEADERS TOUR:
Congratulations to Ferry van Mansum, Nelson Branch Vice President and Matt Lawrey, broadcaster and journalist, on their selection for this ten-person tour to China in November. The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries have planned an interesting itinerary for the Delegation which will include the China International Friendship Cities Conference in Beijing and the Friendship Forum in Xiangtan City, Hunnan Province, as well as visiting sights around Beijing, in Hunnan Province and Shanghai.

FACTSHEET - BEIJING POLLUTION:
Dave Feickert, President Wanganui Branch and a New Zealand coal mine safety and environmental advisor who lives half the year in Beijing notes: “The weather is a critical factor. Beijing’s climate is normally quite dry but is becoming wetter and warmer, with global warming already caused by the developed countries, in addition to its own greenhouse gases ­ a much lesser factor comparatively, but an increasing one. When there is no wind, the mixed water vapour and pollution haze sits over the city. The pollution index on 29 July was 160, whereas with a wind the following day it was down to 10. This haze is like a summer fog ­ mostly water vapour but it looks very bad.” The full report is here.

June/July No. 4

Friday 4 July .. Hearing House .. 5:30 pm
Rewi Alley, Co-operatives and NZCFS Projects in China
Speaker - Dave Bromwich
Dave has been on the NZCFS Executive for seven years, looking after the Shandan Baillie School connection and working on NZCFS projects, especially those associated with the legacy of Rewi Alley within the context of contemporary China.

Since 2004, Dave has been in China four months a year working on rural community development projects in Gansu. He became a member of the Executive of the International Committee for Chinese Industrial Co-operatives (Gung Ho) in 2006, and has more recently joined a Massey project in Guizhou. Dave will also touch on the NZCFS Guangxi projects.

In August, Dave will be traveling to China on behalf of NZCFS to investigate an appropriate project for the NZCFS response to the Chinese Earthquake Appeal. We are fortunate to have this opportunity to learn about NZCFS projects in China from someone who is so closely connected with this work.

As usual, Branch business will be dealt with prior to our Chinese meal costing $10. The speaker will begin immediately after the meal. Friends and visitors are welcome but please notify Barbara when you ring so that we have accurate numbers for the meal. To arrange catering please ring: Barbara Markland Ph. 544 4712 by Tuesday 1 July.

LAST MEETING:
The last Branch meeting was very well attended by members and some visitors. After the business meeting and dinner we were delighted to be entertained by the several pieces Rebecca Wu played on her guzeng. Ron Moorhouse followed with his illustrated talk on his impressions of China 1987 ­ 2007. This was of considerable interest as Ron discussed the great changes, some good and some bad, that he had observed during his visits to China during that period. He considered the plastic age had changed the countryside adversely for where formerly rubbish had been left to rot it now accumulated and remained to pollute the environment. Ron considered China to be a country of great beauty.

NELSON BRANCH CHINESE EARTHQUAKE APPEAL:
The stall at the Nelson Market on June 14 raised $820.50 through the generous donations of many people. With other donations already received, our Sichuan Earthquake Appeal Fund has now reached $1275. Letters have also been sent to many Nelson businesses inviting them to make donations towards the Appeal.

The International Church in Nelson is supporting the Nelson Branch Earthquake Appeal by planning a Monster Sale of second hand goods. These goods are being collected over the next three Saturdays. The drop off point is Unit 3, 133 Tipahi Street, Nelson, between 10am - 3pm. The date and venue of the sale will be advertised in The Leader on 10 July. Please help by looking in your cupboards, garages, attics, and other storage areas. If you would like your items collected please phone June 544 7834 and this will be arranged. The final amount of money will be combined with all the money raised by the twelve Branches of NZCFS.

Dave Bromwich and Sally Russell will soon be in China on other project business and will research an appropriate reconstruction and rehabilitation project. It is hoped that this could begin as early as late September/early October. The greater the amount raised, the greater the difference NZCFS can make to assist the survivors in a chosen rural area to pick up the shattered pieces and re-establish their lives.

SUBSCRIPTIONS:
Thank you very much to those who paid their subscription. If it has slipped your mind, reminders are being emailed or posted out. Please pay at the next meeting or post your cheque to the Treasurer: Royden Smith, 2/10 Ngaio Street, Stoke. Sub forms will be available at the meeting or email Royden (royden@paradise.net.nz).